HC Deb 11 November 2003 vol 413 cc222-3W
Mr. Damian Green

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many civil servants his Department employed to meet each of his Department's public service agreements in each year since 2001. [137169]

Mr. Charles Clarke

The number of civil servants employed by my Department in 2003 to meet its public service agreements is 5,020 (including 640 staff who work in the Government Office network). The number in 2002 was 4,820 (including 650 Government Office staff).

The numbers are not broken down by public service agreements (PSAs) as one aspect of the Department's work often contributes to the achievement of several PSAs. However, the numbers of civil servants in each of the Department's policy directorates over this period are given in the following table. Many of the remaining staff, although not located within a policy directorate, provide direct support.

Policy directorate 2002 2003
Schools 1,385 1,602
Lifelong Learning 681 661
Youth 336 376

The numbers in Schools Directorate include staff who work on Sure Start and Children and Young People's issues.